Left Bower

I don't cafe rotate very often. In fact, these days, I rarely do it at all. I find my 'spot' and it stays my spot until it stops being awesome, gets infiltrated by hipsters, or I just get sick of the menu...That generally takes a devilishly long time, by the way. I'm a creature of habit.

This morning I give to you, Left Bower. Tucked away in a side street of the ultra chic (*cough) Sutherland, lies this little gem of mismatched, organic, caravan-y goodness. No seriously, it's kitted out with decor that has legitimately been thieved from unsuspecting travelers holidaying in caravans (*that bit may or may not be true). On the shelves you'll find weathered scrabble sets (ready to be played over a big pot of tea and home made cake), picnic rugs, fiddle sticks, jars of marbles and little sets of your Nanna's favourite cups and saucers. Kitsch without being tacky and making my eyeballs hurt.

On the (seasonal) menu you'll find delights such as 'Green Eggs & Ham' - a heavenly little stack of sourdough toast, award winning shaved leg ham, smashed eggs, aioli, warrigal greens, vintage cheddar and a drizzle of pesto; 'Avocado mole´' - house made cornbread with the most amazing beans, fried eggs, a whole avocado and a smattering of greenery, freshened up with lime juice and herbs; 'Salad' - poached chicken breast with chicory, pea tendrils, grapefruit segments, and other delicious bits and pieces I can't quite remember. The list goes on, but you get the drift - it's all really really good. I believe most of the produce is also organic and locally sourced. Love that!

The cawffee is excellent and the beans are Australian-grown, which I very much appreciate, though I must admit I only go there to drink the chai. It's a fragrant tea blend with whole cardamon pods scattered throughout that I take piping hot and brewed with soy milk. Heaven. Someone behind the counter always has a chuckle as they exclaim that I'm ingesting "the most expensive drink on the menu!".

I feel at home every time I walk into Left Bower, which is everything I want in a cafe and more. You could sit there for three hours with a book and no one would give you shifty eyes from behind the counter. Be warned though, they may offer you a hefty slice of cream cheese-frosted cake...and refusing that my friends, can get very difficult.

x

E

Left Bower

3, 45 East Parade 

Sutherland

Mon-Fri: 5:15am-4pm

Sat: 7am-3pm 

Sun: 8am-2pm

You can beat an egg but you can't beat a root.

A root vegetable, that is. Gosh.

Minds out of the gutter please...

I am one of those pain-in-the-arse people who always posts food on instagram, but instead of apologising for it (I'm not sorry I make people hungry a lot more often than they possibly should be), I like to exacerbate the "problem" by posting recipes every now and again. 

Today I made a delicious, healthy silverbeet and sweet potato pie. I looks a little shabby but it tasted ahmazing.

Ingredients:

1-2 sheets PUFF PASTRY (I used gluten-free...hence the dodgy patching job half-way across the pie) (also depends on the size of your dish, so best of luck trying to figure out the logistics. Hah!)

1 bunch SILVERBEET, shredded (include a bit of stalk in there too, just for it's healthy goodness)

1 ONION, finely sliced

2 cloves GARLIC, crushed

1 cup low-fat RICOTTA

0.5 of a SWEET POTATO, sliced thinly

4TBSP PINE NUTS

Fresh ROSEMARY, SAGE, MINT, diced finely (roughly 1tbsp) (you can really use any herbs)

S&P

OLIVE OIL

Method:

Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius.

Layer sweet potato around the base of your dish. Place in the oven to begin cooking process.

Meanwhile, sautee onion + garlic + herbs in a little olive oil.

Add silverbeet and sweat down until soft and wilted.

Stir through pinenuts + ricotta.

Season with S&P

-

Remove pie dish from the oven and rest on a heat-proof mat.

Spread silverbeet mixture over the sweet-potato evenly.

Cover with puff pastry and brush the top with a little melted butter or milk.

Bake until pastry is golden...(I'd be lying if I knew how long this bit takes, as I wasn't watching a clock)

Enjoy!

x

E

An Ode.

To the tiny street corners and the holes-in-the-walls,

To the providers of meals that make my heart pause,

To the canteens of quirk and of produce so fresh,

To the chefs that contribute new pounds to my flesh,

You bring about magic when you open your doors,

You're like family - I love you - even with all of your flaws.

You give smiles, no judgement and keep secrets of mine,

For a tea, chat and tart, you always have time.

Penniless or not, in my life ye shall stay,

My singular addiction, the humble cafe.

Yes folks, instead of doing what I should be doing (writing smash hit songs), I instead decided to (rather ridiculously) write an ode (yes an ode) (though not in proper iambic meter) to my favourite haunts. It has just become crystal clear that my love of sitting in cafes and indulging myself is probably not normal...

In my defence though, they all genuinely play host to top notch food, passionate owners and good musical vibes (tres important). To me, each spot deserves nothing short of a glowing review (particularly around the time of the day that breakfast is required - Helloo scrambled eggs). All special for different reasons...I suppose you'll just have to try them to see for yourself!

Images: 1,3&6: youeni foodstore (Like an old friend...I might only see them once every few months, but when I do, boy oh boy it's good)  2: HAM - Harry & Mario (My daily) 4: Bread And Circus Wholefoods Canteen (My weekend fling) 5: Alley Break (My new friend. I know I like 'him' but we're still trying to suss each other out properly...)

x

E